The Truth About Average Guys (2009)
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy
Direction: Ken Gayton
Cast: Ken Gayton, Jason Schaver, Erika Walter, Tony Bozzuto, Adam Breske
An insecure man has his dimwitted actor friend pose as his mentally challenged brother in order to get to know a beautiful co-worker who has a mentally challenged sister.
Download The Truth About Average Guys (2009)
Movie Review:
The Truth About Average Guys is not just a low budget movie, it is a miniscule budget ($5,000) indie film by Ken Gayton and Jason Schaver set to be released March 9th via distribution from Seminal Films and E1 Entertainment. The movie is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and you can queue it on Netflix, with in-store rental and sales opening on the ninth.
A romantic comedy, The Truth About Average Guys is co-directed and co-written by Gayton and Schaver. It’s tagline reads “Finally! A Chick Flick for Guys!!!” The film was hugely successful on the film festival circuits with wins for Best of Festival (Trail Dance Film Festival), Beat Feature (East Lansing), and Best Feature Comedy (The Illinois International Film Festival). These are major accomplishments when you consider this $5,000 production was compared to six and seven figure films with known casts.
Jason (Gayton) is an average guy who has a thing for a beautiful co-worker, Katie Banks (Erika Walter). Because of his insecurities, Jason decides to approach Katie indirectly by paying the mail guy to ‘accidentally’ give him some of her mail. After a lame request for a date flops, Jason seizes the moment when Katie mentions she has a sister (Kimberley Hellem) who is mentally challenged. He says he has a brother with brain damage. They agree to a double date.
The next thing Jason must do is convince his best friend, actor Troy (Schaver), to use his skills to pretend to be his mentally challenged brother. Troy agrees when Jason promises to not charge him rent anymore.
Troy is a politically incorrect unabashed player who has no trouble saying what he thinks. This often puts Jason on the brink of losing his cover. He maintains it long enough to let Katie fall for his gentle nature and sensitive side. He know the problem will come when he is forced to reveal the truth that he has been lying to her. Even worse, Troy has been pretending to date Katie’s sister, who really likes him.
The Truth About Average Guys is without a doubt intented to portray the typical nature of guys as they interact with each other and with the opposite sex. We see many scenes in which the guys do stereotypicaly guy things, like drink, talk crudely, and degrade women with their banter. This is the portion of the movie that helps keep guys hooked in the midst of what would otherwise be a typical romantic comedy story.
There is without a doubt, no question that this is one of the best movies ever made for less than $10,000. Comparing such low budget, indie flicks to big budget big brothers is generally impractical. It is simply not possible to create the visual effect and use the necessary editing to produce a near flawless final product. However, The Truth About Average Guys definitely gives you a great value for the money spent.
There are some convential issues you often find with small budget productions, along with the visuals. There are some cheesy moments and lines, though not nearly enough to get caught up in. Overall, Gayton and Schaver do a nice job piecing together a unique romantic comedy movie. It has fairly seamless transitions throughout. There is an occasional editing goof. For instance, in a kitchen scene in which Jason and Katie first agree to date, their actual conversation time is around 1-2 minutes. The microwave clock says 7:43 when the start and 7:52 when they finish. The outtakes for the DVD include one mishap during this scene.
Ultimately, the viewer gets a chance to enjoy a nice story that is easily engaging. For the large majority of the movie, you are not aware of the reality that you are watching a small budget indie production, a rare and difficult feat when you routinely watch much more expensive and involved blockbuster productions.
Gayton is solid as the lead character. He fits the character’s persona well with his low key style and reserved nature. Schaver is often funny, especially when his character’s lines come out of nowhere and are contrary of what a person might typically say to be appropriate. Some people might find some of the movie’s taboos, such as Troy’s constant references to “retards”, to be offensive. However, in the context of the film and its message, you understand the point is that he learns only through experiencing time playing a mentally challenged person to help his friend.
Erika Walter is great as the leading lady. It’s surprising that this Vancouver-based actress has not yet been included in bigger pictures and roles. She has made a couple brief appearances in notable films (including Brokeback Mountain), but her talent and look are certainly deserving of better opportunities to come.
Other supporting stars include Esther Claire, Adam Breske, Tony Bozzuto, Jonathan Biver, and Richard Renik. You have to truly appreciate the film making process and understand the challenges faced when you have limited ability to do retakes and edits to polish a raw product. Whereas stars in million dollar films get the benefit of having their ‘wrinkles’ ironed out, the performers in a movie like The Truth About Average Guys must rely solely on their talent, supported by effective writing, direction, and filming. That is what makes this film worth watching, and deserving of the accolades it has received.
Original article
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy
Direction: Ken Gayton
Cast: Ken Gayton, Jason Schaver, Erika Walter, Tony Bozzuto, Adam Breske
An insecure man has his dimwitted actor friend pose as his mentally challenged brother in order to get to know a beautiful co-worker who has a mentally challenged sister.
Download The Truth About Average Guys (2009)
Movie Review:
The Truth About Average Guys is not just a low budget movie, it is a miniscule budget ($5,000) indie film by Ken Gayton and Jason Schaver set to be released March 9th via distribution from Seminal Films and E1 Entertainment. The movie is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and you can queue it on Netflix, with in-store rental and sales opening on the ninth.
A romantic comedy, The Truth About Average Guys is co-directed and co-written by Gayton and Schaver. It’s tagline reads “Finally! A Chick Flick for Guys!!!” The film was hugely successful on the film festival circuits with wins for Best of Festival (Trail Dance Film Festival), Beat Feature (East Lansing), and Best Feature Comedy (The Illinois International Film Festival). These are major accomplishments when you consider this $5,000 production was compared to six and seven figure films with known casts.
Jason (Gayton) is an average guy who has a thing for a beautiful co-worker, Katie Banks (Erika Walter). Because of his insecurities, Jason decides to approach Katie indirectly by paying the mail guy to ‘accidentally’ give him some of her mail. After a lame request for a date flops, Jason seizes the moment when Katie mentions she has a sister (Kimberley Hellem) who is mentally challenged. He says he has a brother with brain damage. They agree to a double date.
The next thing Jason must do is convince his best friend, actor Troy (Schaver), to use his skills to pretend to be his mentally challenged brother. Troy agrees when Jason promises to not charge him rent anymore.
Troy is a politically incorrect unabashed player who has no trouble saying what he thinks. This often puts Jason on the brink of losing his cover. He maintains it long enough to let Katie fall for his gentle nature and sensitive side. He know the problem will come when he is forced to reveal the truth that he has been lying to her. Even worse, Troy has been pretending to date Katie’s sister, who really likes him.
The Truth About Average Guys is without a doubt intented to portray the typical nature of guys as they interact with each other and with the opposite sex. We see many scenes in which the guys do stereotypicaly guy things, like drink, talk crudely, and degrade women with their banter. This is the portion of the movie that helps keep guys hooked in the midst of what would otherwise be a typical romantic comedy story.
There is without a doubt, no question that this is one of the best movies ever made for less than $10,000. Comparing such low budget, indie flicks to big budget big brothers is generally impractical. It is simply not possible to create the visual effect and use the necessary editing to produce a near flawless final product. However, The Truth About Average Guys definitely gives you a great value for the money spent.
There are some convential issues you often find with small budget productions, along with the visuals. There are some cheesy moments and lines, though not nearly enough to get caught up in. Overall, Gayton and Schaver do a nice job piecing together a unique romantic comedy movie. It has fairly seamless transitions throughout. There is an occasional editing goof. For instance, in a kitchen scene in which Jason and Katie first agree to date, their actual conversation time is around 1-2 minutes. The microwave clock says 7:43 when the start and 7:52 when they finish. The outtakes for the DVD include one mishap during this scene.
Ultimately, the viewer gets a chance to enjoy a nice story that is easily engaging. For the large majority of the movie, you are not aware of the reality that you are watching a small budget indie production, a rare and difficult feat when you routinely watch much more expensive and involved blockbuster productions.
Gayton is solid as the lead character. He fits the character’s persona well with his low key style and reserved nature. Schaver is often funny, especially when his character’s lines come out of nowhere and are contrary of what a person might typically say to be appropriate. Some people might find some of the movie’s taboos, such as Troy’s constant references to “retards”, to be offensive. However, in the context of the film and its message, you understand the point is that he learns only through experiencing time playing a mentally challenged person to help his friend.
Erika Walter is great as the leading lady. It’s surprising that this Vancouver-based actress has not yet been included in bigger pictures and roles. She has made a couple brief appearances in notable films (including Brokeback Mountain), but her talent and look are certainly deserving of better opportunities to come.
Other supporting stars include Esther Claire, Adam Breske, Tony Bozzuto, Jonathan Biver, and Richard Renik. You have to truly appreciate the film making process and understand the challenges faced when you have limited ability to do retakes and edits to polish a raw product. Whereas stars in million dollar films get the benefit of having their ‘wrinkles’ ironed out, the performers in a movie like The Truth About Average Guys must rely solely on their talent, supported by effective writing, direction, and filming. That is what makes this film worth watching, and deserving of the accolades it has received.
Original article
